Process of manufacturing gas



(No Model.)

J. M. ROSE. I PROCESS 0]? MANUFACTURING GAS.

No. 408,532. Patented Aug. 6, 1889.

N. PETERS. Pbclo-Ulbowapher. wuhm em o. c.

V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. ROSE, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING GAS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 408,532, dated August 6,1889.

Application filed May 9, 1888. Serial No. 273,2'59. (No specimens.)

gheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in the Process of Manufacturing Gas; and Ido here-.

by declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof.

My invention relates to the manufacture of gas, and more especially toimprovements on the process described in an application filed by me onMarch 2, 1887, Serial No. 229,435, and certain improvements thereonwhich have been made the subject of subsequent applications.

The process described in the above appli cation consists, generallystated, in heating by the waste products of combustion formed in raisinga mass of carbon to incandescence blocks or pieces of limestone or otherrefractory material coated with a heavy hydrocarbonsuch as asphaltum orcoal-tarand thus forming a mass of refractory material impregnated'witha heavy hydrocarbon, and subsequently passing a current or currents ofsteam through said incandescent carbon and impregnated refractorymaterial, the nascent hydrogen so obtained uniting with the heavyhydrocarbon supported by the refractory material, and so forming lighthydrocarbon gases-such as marsh-gas or olefiant gasthe resultant gasesbeing composed principally of hydrogen, light hydrocarbons, and carbonicoxide.

My present invention relates specially to certain steps in thegeneration of the gases from the hyd rocarbon-bearing material, and inthe subsequent treatment of the gases passing from such material toenrich the same, to remove the tarry matter therefrom, and to form afixed illuminating-gas of high candlepower.

To these ends my invention consists in certain improvements in thesuperheating of the steam employed in the generation of the gases, inthe mixing of liquid hydrocarbons with the gases obtained by theprocess, and in the fixing of the gas after the interiningling therewith of the enriching hydrocarbons, as well as in other improvements, asherein after more particularly pointed out.

To enable others skilled in the art to practice my invention, I willdescribe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawing,which shows by alongitudinal central section, partly in full lines, theapparatus best adapted for practicing my invention.

The apparatus preferably employed in practicing my invention consists ofa generatorchamber, a double hydrocarbon-chamber containing the blocksor pieces of limestone or other refractory material coated withasphaltum, coal-tar, or other heavy hydrocarbon, and so forming the massof hydrocarbon-impregnated material, and a third fixing and furthergenerating chamber of peculiar construction, which, together with theother apparatus, forms the subject of a separate application of evendate herewith.

The generator-chamber a is intended to contain any suitable carbonsuchas coal or cokethe same being supported upon the grate-bars a at thebase thereof, and the coal being fed to the generator through afeeding-port M, the body of coal generally extending-up within saidchamber to a point just below the discharge-port 1), leading into thehydrocarbon-chamber c. The generator at is also provided below thegrate'bars with the steam-inlet e and the air-inlet e, and above thebody of carbon therein with the steaminlet f, which is placed oppositethe fine 1),

leading into the hydrocarbon-chamber 0, so

that the steam entering through said pipe f necessarily passes entirelyacross the upper part of the generator-chamber and over the mass ofincandescent carbon therein.

The hydrocarbon-ch ambers c d, forming the double hydrocarbon-chamber,which I prefer to employ, as set forth in the previous applicationsfiled by me, are in the present apparatus shown as arranged the onebefore the other, so that the heated products and gases must necessarilypass downwardly through the chamber 0, and thence upwardly through thechamber d, and these chambers are raised, being supported on suitablepillars 9, so as to bring the top of the chambers on a level with thetop of the generator-chamber a, and the chamber 0 being located close tothe generator a, so that only a short and direct connecting-flue Z) isnecessary, and for this reason the nascent hydrogen generated by thedecomposition of the steam in the incandescent carbon can pass directlyand quickly int-o the hydrocarbon-chamber, it being found that thehydrogen will unite more readily with the hydrocarbon supported in saidchamber if brought in contact therewith immediately after itsgeneration. The hydrocarbon-chambers e (Z are also provided with thefeedingports 0 and with the discharge-doors cflwhich latter are arrangedopposite the grate-bars, so as to provide means for removing thematerial from said chambers, and also keepin the portions of saidchambers under the gratebars free from clogging. If desired, a steamspray or injector 0 may also be employed at the top of the chamber a,and a steam spray or injector d at the base of the chamber (I, while asteam spray or injector (1 maybe employed at the top of the chamber (1,these spraying-pipes c (1' (I being employed for feeding to the chambersthe liquid hydrocarbons during the passage of the products of combustionthrough said chambers for further coating the refractory materialtherein, as described by me in an application filed February 23, 1888,Serial No. 264 983.

The mixing, fixing, and further generatingchamber N differs from thoseemployed in the apparatus forming the subjects of former applications insome particulars which will be pointed out, the chamber being a longcylindrical chamber supported in a suitable iron casin g, at the base ofwhich are the grate-bars 7t, supporting a body of coal or other suitablecarbon, and forming the second coal-generator 71, which will be referredto as the carbon-chamber, and above said generator, or forming the upperpart of the same, is the combustion-chamber 7., while above thecombustion-chamber 7c is the fixing-chamber Z, and above thefixing-chamber is the mixingchamber m. Leading from the upper end of thehydrocarbon-chamber d, and from the side of said chamber, is the pipe orflue p, which communicates with the combustionchamber is above thecarbon-chamber 71, said flue being controlled by the valve 19, andleading from the top of the hydrocarbonchamber (Z is the pipe or flue7', which communicates with the mixing-chamber mat the top of thechamber LY, said fine 2' being controlled by a valve r.

Below the grate-bars h of the carbon-chamber 71 is the air-blast pipe712, by means of which the coal or other carbon supported on the gratebars h maybe raised to incandescence, while in the combustioirchamber7c, above the body of carbon in the chamber it, is the air-blast pipeit, which serves to supply air to the products of combustion, which passfrom the hydrocarbon-chamber (I through the pipe 2) to thecombustion-chamber 7;, said products of combustion being interm ingledwith the highly-heated products of combustion from the carbon cbamber 71and thus heated and consumed in the combustionchamber 7;, and the heatedproducts therefrom passing upwardly through the fixing chamber Z. Insaid chamber 7;,

above said carbon-chamber ft, is the steaminlet through which a furtherportion of steam is added to the gases before they pass downwardlythrough the body of incandescent carbon in the chamber it. Near the baseof the carbon-chamber 7L, but above the gratebars at about the pointwhere the greatest heat is generated in the mass of carbon in saidchamber, is the gas-outletn, which leads to any suitable storage-tank.

The fixing-chamber, as shown in the d rawing, is preferably formed of aseries of terracotta tiles 3, which extend across the chamber and haveformed therein the small perforations s, so forming through thischambera large number of diminutive fines or passages, through which theheated products of combustion rising from the combustion-chamber 70 passon their upward course to the purgeoutlet 15, which is controlled by asuitable purge-valve, and down through which passages the gases andvapors pass in their course from mixing-chamber m to the storage-tank.It is found that these tcrra-cotta tiles, while giving a circuitouscourse to the products of combustion and gases passing through the same,not only act to absorb a large amount of heat from the highly-heatedproducts of combustion, but to readily impart that heat to the gases andvapors passing through such tiling, so acting to decompose any steamwhich may be carried into the fixing-chamber and to cause the union andfixing of the gases which pass down through the same. However, thisfixing-chamber may, if desired, be provided with simply a loose mass offirebrick, dolomite, or other suitable fixing material supported on aperforated arch, as shown in application, Serial No. 261,139. As theproducts of combustion rise through said fixing-chamber Z, the lowerportion thereof is raised to a higher heat than the upper portion, whilethe gases and vapors formed in the gas -ma-king process pass downwardlythrough the same, and are therefore brought from the coolest to thehot-test part of said fixing-chamber, and a more permanent gas istherefore formed. Communicating with the chamber at at a point oppositethe pipe 0' is the inlet-pipe 7', by means of which liquid hydrocarbonor liquid hydrocarbon and steam are fed to the chamber to enrich thegases passing over from the hydroearbon-chambers, a further quantity ofhydrogen being added to the gases formed from the steam which isdecomposed in passing downwardly through the fixi n g-ch amb er.

In carrying outmy improved process the generator-chamber a is filledwith coal, coke, or other suitable carbon, and through the airblast pipe6 the same is gradually raised to the proper incandescenee. Thehydrocarbonchambers e (Z are filled with blocks or pieces of limestoneor other refractory material coated with asphaltum, coal-tar, or othersuitable hydrocarbon, so forming the mass of refractoryhydrocarbon-impregnated material IIO therein, and the carbon-chamber his supplied with a mass of coal, coke, or other suitable carbon, Which,through the air-blast pipe 713, is blasted to incandescenee. During theblasting of the two masses of carbon the products of combustion fromthegenerator-chambera pass through the flue b to the hydrocarbon-chamberc, and thence down through the impregnated refractory material in saidchamber and upwardly through that in the chamber cl, and, if desired, assaid products pass through said chambers liquid hydrocarbon can besprayed intothe same, as described in my said application, Serial No.264,983.

The valve r, leading to the mixing-chamber 0", has of course beenpreviously closed, while the valve 19 in the pipe 19, leading from thechamber (Z to the combustion-chamber 70, has been opened, and the wasteproducts of combustion, together with any vaporized hydrocarbon whichmay be taken up thereby, pass through the pipe or flue 19 into thecombustion-chamber 70. On account of the circuitous course of theproducts through the hydrocarbon-chambers it is generally found that alarge amount 'of heat is taken up by the material in said chambers, sothat the heat of such products is generally lowered to such a degreethat unless again heated they will not burn properly, and as they passover the mass of incandescent carbon in the chamber h and interminglewith the products of combustion therefrom said products of combustion,entering from the pipe 19 into the combustion-chamber 7c, are heated, sothat, with the products of combustion rising from the carbon-chamber h,they are consumed within the combustion-chamber, a sufficient supply ofair to support combustion being provided through the air-blast pipe k.The heated products of combustion then rise through the fixing-chamberZ, raising the terra-cotta or other fixing material therein to a highheat and'heating the lower part of said chamber especially to a veryhigh heat, the products of combustion then passing through themixing-chamber m, which is also heated, and thence to the purge-outlet tand being permitted to escape. This is continued until the two masses ofcarbon are raised to the proper incandescence and thehydrocarbon-bearing material in the chambers 0 cl suitably heated, whenthe air-blasts are closed, the valve 19 in the pipe 19 closed, and thevalve 0* in the pipe 0 opened, while at the same time the purge-valve isclosed and the valve-controlling pipe n, leading to the storage-tank, isopened. Steam is then admitted at the pipe e at the base of thegenerator at, the steam passing upwardly through said generator andbeing decomposed, forming first hydrogen and carbonic acid; but onaccount of the height of the chamber this carbonic acid being generallyconverted into carbonic oxide. At the same time steam is admitted at thetop of the generator a, and on account of the extremely high heat in theupper part of said generator, whichhas of course been brought to a veryhigh heat in blasting the contents thereof to incandescence, as thesteam from the pipe f has necessarily to pass across said chamber itcomes in contact with the highlyheated walls thereof and with the upperportion of the incandescent carbon therein, and is thus highlysuperheated before it passes, with the water-gas formed in saidgenerator, into the hydrocarboirchamber.

As the hydrocarbon-chamber c is placed close to the generator, it isevident that the gases enter said chamber at a Very high heat, andinstead of the steam entering the upper end thereof acting to lower thetemperature of the impregnated material in said hydrocarbonchamber onaccount of it being previously superheated, it maintains the temperature thereof, and is more easily decomposed, thus enablin g me to continuethe gas-makin g operation longer. As the superheated steam mingles withthe carbonic oxide passing upwardly from the generator, and said gasesand vapors are at a high heat, the superheated steam will in some casesbe decomposed even in the upper part of said generators, the oxygenuniting with part of the carbonic oxide to form carbonic acid, and astill further portion of hydrogen being thus set free, which, togetherwith the hydrogen generated by the decomposition of the steam in theincandescent carbon, passes over into the mass of refractory materialimpregnated with a heavy hydrocarbon, and such hydrogen being in anascent state and brought, shortly after being set free, in contact withthe heavy hydrocarbon supported on the refractory material unites withthe same and forms light hydrocarbon gases, as has been described insaid application, Serial No. 229,435. The gases so formed namely,carbonic oxide, carbonic acid, hydrogen, and the hydrocarbongasestogether with the vaporized solvent and any undecomposed steam,then pass through the pipe 0' to the mixing-chamber m, at the upper endof the fixing-chamber N, where a suitable liquid hydrocarbon is sprayedinto the mass of gases entering the mixing-chamber to enrich the gasespreviously formed, said hydrocarbon being preferably sprayed therein bya jet of steam, and a Lima oil being preferably employed, as it is oflow cost and serves well as an enriching agent, though any suitableliquid hydrocarbon may of course be employed for the purpose. Thesegases and vapors pass from this mixing-chamber m down through thefixing-chamber Z, being again heated in passing through the same, thesteam and the hydrocarbon Vapors being decomposed into hydrogen,carbonic oxide, light hydrocarbon gases, which gases commingle andinterchange with the hydrogen, marsh and olefiant gases, and carbonicoxide and carbonicacid entering from the hydrocarbon chambers, forming afixed gas of high candlepower. Said gases in their passage through saidmixing and fixing chamber are raised to a high and gradually-increasinheat, -as the lower part of the fixing chamber Z is more highly heatedthan the upper portion, and as the small openings in the terra-cottatiles supported in the fixing-chamber offer resistanee to the passage ofthe gases, and it is evident that not only is a pressure generated inthe hydrocarbon-chambers, which greatly assists the gas-making process,but the gases are brought into closer contact in the fixingchamber Z anda more perfect union of the gases so obtained. These gases, after havingbeen so mixed and fixed, then pass down through a thick body ofincandescent carbon in the carbon-chamber h, in which they are not onlymore firmly united, but a further body of water-gas is generated, steambeing admitted through the pipe k in the combustion-chamber 7a, afurther portion of hydrogen being thus added to the gases, and anycarbonic acid passing from the fixing-chamber is converted into carbonicoxide under the high temperature of the incandescent coal. The gasespass from the body of illcandescent carbon at the hottest partthereofnan1ely, just above the grate-barsand thence, through the pipe22, are carried to the receiving-tank. At the same time if any tarrymatter has been carried over by the gases this tarry matter is taken upby the incandescent carbon and a gas free from any such material isobtained. Vhen the heat of the bodies of incandescent carbon is loweredbelow that suitable for making gas, the gas-making operation is stoppedand said bodies again blasted up and the apparatus so prepared foranother gasanakiug operation.

By thus carrying the products of combustion upwardly through thefixing-chamber and the gases from the hydrocarbonchambers downwardlythrough the fixing-chamber I am enabled to obtain a more intimateintermingling thereof and gradually bring the gases into contact withmore highly heated fixing-surfaces, and am also enabled, after passingthe gases through the ordinary fixin g-chamber, to still further heatand fix them by means of a body of incandescent carbon to provide meansfor highly heating the fixing-chamber Z and reheating the waste productspassing from the liydrocarbon-chambers and utilizing them in heatingsaid fixing-chamber. I am also enabled, as a last step in the process,to remove any tarry matters from the resultant gas, this being foundnecessary where oil is employed for the purpose above described, as anenriching means. I am also enabled, through the arrangement of theapparatus as above described, to dispense with many diiferent valves andpipes in the construction of the apparatus, rendering it more simple andcompact.

lVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. The improvement in the art of forming gas, consisting in blasting amass of carbon to incandescence, passing the products therefrom throughamass of refractory material containing hydrocarbon and the resultantproducts over a bed of heated carbon and burning them to heat a body offixing material, and then passing a current of steam through said firstbody of incandescent carbon, a current of steam over said incandescentcarbon to superheat it, and the mixed superheated steam and gasesthrough the hydrocarboil-bearing material, and then mixing with theresultant gases a liquid hydrocarbon, and passing the gases and vaporsfirst through the heated fixing material, and then through the secondbody of incandescent carbon, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. The improvement in the art of making gas, consisting in blasting amass of carbon in one chamber to incandescence and passing the resultantproducts through a mass of refractory material containing hydrocarbon,and subsequently passing a current of steam through the incandescentcarbon and a current of steam over said incandescent carbon to superheatthe same, and the mixed superheated steam and gases through the heatedhydrocarbon-bearing material, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

The improvement in the art of forming gas, consisting in passingwater-gas through a mass of refractory material containing hydrocarbonand the resultant gases through a mass of heated fixing material, andthen through a mass of incandescent carbon, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

4:. The improvement in the art of forming gas, consisting in passingwater-gas through a heated mass of refractory material containinghydrocarbon, then spraying into the resultant gases steam and liquidhydrocarbon, and then passing the gases and vapors through a heated massof fixing material and the resultant gases through a mass ofincandescent carbon, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. The improvement in the art of forming gas, consisting in passingwater-gas through a heated mass of refractory material containinghydrocarbon, then spraying into the resultant gases steam andliquidhydrocarbon, and then passing the gases and vapors through aheated mass of fixing material, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

In testimony whereof I, the said JAMES M. ROSE, have hereunto set myhand.

JAMES M. ROSE.

Vitnesses:

WM. P. l\[ERCER, BENJ. W. I'IAINES.

